Review – Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger

Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger at a glance

At first glance, what could be better? A solar powered external battery that fits in your pocket! The Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger is shock, water and dust resistant and holds a commendable 5000mAh with two USB outputs for charging multiple devices. As with all solar powered products though, we ask the question, does it work?

Capacity & Charging speed

So this is a tough one for Dizaul. The power bank’s capacity weighs in at 5000mAh meaning you’ll get 1.5 times charge out of most devices. The two outputs are rated at 1a which is your average-not-so-fast charging speed. So while the stats look pretty average in terms of a power bank at this price range we also have to factor in the solar aspect.

Dizaul are very straightforward with the Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger. They caution the customer with “Please kindly note that it’s comparatively slow for the solar charger to recharge itself via solar power, due to the limited surface of the solar panel.” Fair enough, but just how slow is it? Well that depends. Direct sunlight could see this device charging up over a full day of sun. Sky a bit spotty? Try a couple of days or more.

What this means is that you shouldn’t rely on this portable charger to be the only thing you’ll need when camping in the woods for a few days. The charging rate is incredibly slow due to the size of the device. That however, is the reason why it’s so portable! Our advice. Treat the Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger as a power bank with a little bit extra. You can keep it on the top of your backpack or on top of your tent while it’s charging your phone and you will get some efficiency from it.

Look and feel

Let’s have a look at the device. In terms of dimensions it’s basically a chunky iPhone. There is a grippy rubber edging which makes it easy to hold. There are rubber stoppers that cover the USB ports to protect from rain and dust. These are great in theory but make it a little difficult to insert and remove USB cables. There are 4 LED’s that indicate charge. The light will hold a steady green light if it is receiving energy from the sun.

On the upper right corner is a handy little flashlight and the entire face of the device is essentially a solar panel. The product comes with a little USB lamp and carrabena. This makes it easy to hook onto a bag hoop or tent loop. There’s one power button that you press to turn it on to charge a device. To charge the solar panel itself, you just leave it out in the sun, no need to turn it on or off.

Durability & Construction

The construction of the Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger looks incredibly sturdy. The outside casing looks strong and well built. The device is water, shock and dust resistant which makes it a perfect companion for adventurers. All the joins and seams look great and it’s powered by a lithium ion cell.

We did see some variation in product performance however. Some devices appeared to perform a lot better than others. Dizaul have been quick to offer replacements are refunds. In saying that, their website is down for now and we are unsure how this affects returns. It’s certainly not a great sign.

Portability

What can I say, the portability aspect of the Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger is fantastic. I think this is the real selling point of this particular power bank. Again to reiterate – treat it as a power bank with an extra feature. Compared to the Anker 21w solar charger, it’s certainly a lot smaller. At a massive 21w though, we are kind of comparing apples and oranges.

The Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger is meant to be something you can slide into your bag and bring out when the sun is beaming. Something like the Anker 21w requires a bit more folding and thought when you’re packing your bags. It’s certainly very light too.

Final Thoughts

The Dizaul 5000 mAh Portable Solar Charger isn't the kind of device you throw in the sun for 2 hours to let it charge up. It's meant to be left out for a long time and to give you a little extra juice than a traditional power bank. Is it worth the effort? We think so! It's a well made and handy product for anyone with a sunny adventure planned. Be prepared to leave it in the sun for a long time however and watch out for defective units. Test before taking it with you!